BarbedWire

Re the link. What does the column %rehomed after reclaimed mean? Does it mean the owner reclaimed their dogs? But that is covered in another column. Or the owner did not want the dogs back after acknowledging ownership?

Yep and then you have the other stats that we need to know - how many that are put into new homes bounce back? Yes and in the case of DAS how many were sent to the RSPCA and never heard of again. Bitches in whelp automatically go to the RSPCA and weeks later pups that look like the dog are advertised but not the mother.

Thankyou Dogmad and Mumsie. I once knew a family with a JRT. Their house was on a block that sloped towards the road. At the back of the house they had a pergola with a retaining wall at its rear. The JRT used to get up on to the roof via the pergola and then walk across the roof to the front where it would sit all day and watch the passing traffic. The owner told me people often knocked on her door to tell her that a dog was sitting on her roof. I thought it was so clever and so funny. They sound like such cute dogs.

Thankyou for this information. It should go out with all puppies going to a new home. I know I am guilty of talking too much and when I start remonstrating about something being said on the tv (usually by a politician) my dog, who until then has been sitting quietly beside me, gets up and sits somewhere else away from me where she eyes me anxiously. So often when our dogs are being difficult we need to look at our own body language and I need to stop swearing at the pollies on the tv. :D

Thankyou again. This is interesting especially the bolded part. How would they go at obedience trialling? I have seen one at training and it had a really quirky personality which I fell in love with.

I love nutbags as long as they are not going to kill my neighbour's cat or be in your face with other dogs.

Thankyou. I did not realise that both rough coats and smooth coats could be from the same litter. Can I have her details. I don't want a pup yet but maybe in the future.

Thankyou. I thought different coat types might come from different genetic stock and that might mean different temperament.

Hi All THE JRT thread seems to be very quiet and I would like to know if anyone knows if there is any difference in the temperaments of the smooth and rough coated JRTs. I am thinking about prey drive and level of aggression towards other dogs. If you have ever owned a JRT would you recommend a smooth or a rough coat? Thankyou

It is not about me, me, me, and I want this and I want that. It's about the dog. I would not want to take the risk of suddenly leaving a dog I have loved for years who has also become attached to me. I believe the dog would feel a sense of abandonment if I suddenly disappeared from its life. The dog wouldn't know I'd fallen off my perch, just that I'd left it. As we become attached to dogs, they too become attached to us and would certainly be distressed if suddenly, we weren't there. I would not want to risk my dog being kennelled while waiting to be rehomed, if they're fortunate enough to be rehomed. Of course I would love to have a dog in my old age, I've never lived without a dog and can't even imagine the loss I'd feel without a dog but I won't have a dog when I am of an age where there's a good chance I won't be there for it. You don't feel guilty if you leave a dog behind. I don't share your thoughts although I can't fathom where guilt comes into it. In any case it's not what I feel or don't feel, it's about the dog. When you say you've spent much of your life cleaning up after others do you mean taking on rescue dogs? I too have rescued Rotties for many years and lost my last rescue girl to cancer four years ago but taking on my rescues wasn't cleaning up after others. All my rescues were wonderful dogs and I loved having them in my life. I haven't taken another rescue dog since my last Rottie because my spinal condition doesn't allow for me to provide what they deserve. I can provide everything my two elderly Cavaliers require and that is enough for me now. About the bolded ^. Are you seriously telling me that your cousin was still nursing at 76 years of age? Was this person a RN? Was she nursing on the wards? I would have thought the nurses reg. board had a limit on the age of their RN's. I'll ask my son, he's a RN. Actually having thought further about the above post I think it is quite rude so I will not be responding any further. :)

I also expect good quality of life since there is no dementia in my family and I read and write every day and always try to learn new things. I love acquiring new skills. It can be quite simple. If you always put the key in your door with your right hand, just start doing it with your left. I do think it depends on the individual though. I am fortunate to have excellent genes.

If you plan on getting a pup when you're 75yo you'd better have someone who is prepared to love and care for it because you may not be here at 85yo and if you are, how fit and capable will you be? Will you be able to take care of a dog and give it the exercise it needs? That pup will be 10yo when you're 85yo and it has a lot more living to do. I knew when I got each of my Cavalier pups that they would be my last dogs. I was looking forward towards what condition I might be in, in ten years time. My dogs nine and ten years old respectively now and I have a painful spinal problem. I take pain medication to enable me to walk them. I won't be getting another dog at 75yo. It is sad that you have a spinal condition and I think you are unfortunate. I know lots of people in their seventies who are very healthy. I had coffee with a 74yo yesterday who still works full time. My older brother still works. He is a surgeon and I have a cousin who retired two years ago. She was a nurse and is now 78. That being said I also know a 74yo who is waiting for a hip replacement and I am going to walk her dog later today. However people do recover from hip replacements these days. I also know someone who died from cancer last week. She was 69 and very fit, a regular competitor at veteran athletics carnivals. I have rescued several dogs over the years and I want to have a dog with me for as long as I can. I don't feel guilty if I were to leave one behind. I have spent so much of my life cleaning up the messes of others that while I will try not to leave a mess behind I hope no-one minds cleaning up after me. I do make sure my dogs are well cared for and have good manners though just in case. The big problem as I see it is that we don't know when we are going to kark it. If I was to decide no dogs after 75 I might have 20 years without a dog and what a waste that would be. Not only for me but also for a dog. My next dog will probably be a rescue and I could give it an excellent home.

There's a lot of difference between individuals. Much of that difference is predictable. I can't remember where I saw the numbers, but I'm pretty certain that those who make it to, say, 70 and are in good health, have a better chance of living another 25 years than those who make it to 50 and have a few chronic conditions/risk factors (heart, obesity, smoking, family dying young, etc.). There are many detailed life expectancy calculators available that take account of your risk factors. I think these are a useful guideline, not only for figuring out whether or not to take on a puppy, but also for figuring out how long your life savings is going to have to last. I played around with one of these tests https://www.livingto100.com/ and was surprised to realize I can expect to live to be 95 (I'm 65 now). But if I had high blood pressure and smoked, or had a sister who died of breast cancer at 45, or had diabetes, the numbers would be a lot different. SG I just did the test and I am going to live to 100 which is not unreasonable since going back five generations on my female line four ancestors lived to their nineties and the other one was killed in a car accident. I see no reason why I shouldn't get another dog. I don't particularly want another pup though. I am in my early 70s.

sometimes i think that the perfect choice for we older people is a greyhound.. small breed can be quick and get underfoot unseen A neighbour of mine spent 6 hours on the ground with a broken femur.. by the time i found her she was covered in meat ants!!!!!!!!! all due to tripping over her Chi ( he suffered two broken ribs)... H I am 63 and currently care for one brother and his maremma and medium sized cross, and i have 3 very elderly maremmas, 1 middle aged maremma, 1 very feisty 3yo maremma and two 2yo maremmas ( fosters at the moment). The thought of living without at least a dog makes my blood run cold. H Possibly, but greyhounds aren't terriers ... :D Rescues have identified a new breed doing the rounds of the country pounds which they have named a wire haired terrier. Maybe that would suit. #umwhat? I wasn't going to post any more today but just one more. Try this link My link

sometimes i think that the perfect choice for we older people is a greyhound.. small breed can be quick and get underfoot unseen A neighbour of mine spent 6 hours on the ground with a broken femur.. by the time i found her she was covered in meat ants!!!!!!!!! all due to tripping over her Chi ( he suffered two broken ribs)... H I am 63 and currently care for one brother and his maremma and medium sized cross, and i have 3 very elderly maremmas, 1 middle aged maremma, 1 very feisty 3yo maremma and two 2yo maremmas ( fosters at the moment). The thought of living without at least a dog makes my blood run cold. H Possibly, but greyhounds aren't terriers ... :D Rescues have identified a new breed doing the rounds of the country pounds which they have named a wire haired terrier. Maybe that would suit.

What a wonderful thread this has been. Thankyou OP I have a few questions though. How does a rescue know how old potential adopters are? Do they ask for proof of age? If so how rude. So if I want a dog from a rescue will I have to put on my young face and wear young clothes and get a ring in my belly button? :D :D The white hair is probably okay because most young people seem to dye their hair anyway. Edited because I was being silly

None of us know how long we have when we take on a pet. People can die when quite young as the result of an accident. Cancer or other illnesses can strike at any time. Why single out people of a certain age and who you believe are at death's door as being irresponsible for wanting a pet? Have you ever heard of ageism? Younger families leave animals at the pound too. A pet can be wonderful company for someone living alone and can give them a reason to get up in the morning and to go out for a walk every day and help them to live a longer happier more fulfilled life. If I was to go out and get a pup tomorrow it would not be selfish ownership. I would be offering a dog a wonderful home and the dog would be enriching my life and I do matter and I am entitled to happiness just as much as the next person. That said I wouldn't want a pup though. I would prefer an older settled dog. I have had my share of pups and their destructive ways. :D 59 is so young. Whoever would think it remarkable that a 59 year old was getting a pup? Why on earth shouldn't they? :) I am not young myself and have many years of rehoming rescue dogs to all kinds of homes including to elderly people who've been turned down by other rescues simply because of their age - every application needs to be assessed for suitability, no matter what age. That said, I would not be rehoming a 2 year old to any of the 80 somethings that call and want that particular dog - unless they had phenomenal family backup on a daily basis, only then might I consider it and I'd consider it to be an adoption to the whole family so generally, the people that call don't even come close. Recently a group I work with took on a 6 month old puppy bought by an 84 year old who was lonely. Paid $1600 in a petshop and simply wanted the animal to sit on her lap. Shock horror, it was an energetic puppy that she couldn't cope with and for the 3 months or so that she had the dog, it wasn't housetrained, it never left the house because she was also disabled. That is just a drop in the ocean of rescue stories, it's not unusual. And I think at 89, you shouldn't be getting a kitten as my friend's mother had done. Perhaps an older cat would suit but there is also a time when people really focus on looking after themselves and don't even see anything wrong with their pets. Anyone who has animals should be making provision for them in case anything happens because I agree with you, anything can at any age, we can all hope for the best but once you are say, over 80 - you might need to be thinking that things are more likely to happen such as incapacitating illness or the most final thing. You may not be OK tomorrow, even though you are ok today ... I spent 6 years visiting someone in a nursing home who passed away aged 90. She'd collapsed at 84 and that was that, end of her mobility. I really don't think that is fair to a young dog or cat. I do understand what you are saying. As I have said in a previous post I would not want a pup because I know what work is involved but I do want a canine companion for as long as I am able. Besides 'You can't take a goldfish for a walk' and I love walking. That said I am not yet 80, :D :D ,so perhaps 80 can be the new benchmark, but when I get to 80 and if I am still well it may be time to reassess. But then as other posters have said, it is not the chronological age it is the individual situation.

Amax I think this is a lovely post and I would like to think my son would say the same.

None of us know how long we have when we take on a pet. People can die when quite young as the result of an accident. Cancer or other illnesses can strike at any time. Why single out people of a certain age and who you believe are at death's door as being irresponsible for wanting a pet? Have you ever heard of ageism? Younger families leave animals at the pound too. A pet can be wonderful company for someone living alone and can give them a reason to get up in the morning and to go out for a walk every day and help them to live a longer happier more fulfilled life. If I was to go out and get a pup tomorrow it would not be selfish ownership. I would be offering a dog a wonderful home and the dog would be enriching my life and I do matter and I am entitled to happiness just as much as the next person. That said I wouldn't want a pup though. I would prefer an older settled dog. I have had my share of pups and their destructive ways. :D 59 is so young. Whoever would think it remarkable that a 59 year old was getting a pup? Why on earth shouldn't they? :)

Sheridan I agree about the smaller dog. For me it has to be a dog I can still lift if I have to. eta but not so small that it could be a tripping hazard

Yay I have worked out how to post links This is the link to the life expectancy figures I quoted above My link I hope it works

Sorry but I dispute this figure in bold. I don't know how to post links but I have copied this from an article in the Guardian which is quoting WHO figures. Australian men have the third highest life expectancy in the world, but women are lagging in sixth place, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, women are expected to live 84.6 years on average, compared with 80.5 for men. A few years ago I attended a gym class and the instructor was in her mid seventies.

When I hear about rescuers refusing to let someone in their sixties have a dog because they are too old I am quite amused. When you are in your twenties forty is so old. When you reach forty, sixty is old, then when you reach sixty, eighty is old. For me once you reach seventy you are allowed to call yourself elderly. We also need to remember that the new retirement age is seventy, and that people are living longer. The life expectancy for a woman is around eighty four. I am retired and I love having the time to spend with my dogs and to spoil them in a way I never had time for before.

This is a topic which is close to my heart. Not saying how old I am but I am up there. I keep thinking will there be another dog? I think about my mother who died in her nineties and who thought she was too old for another dog when her last one died many years before she did. When she lost this dog she stopped walking and aged so quickly. I don't want to make that mistake. I want quality of life right to the end and that means having a dog. Some retirement villages are now understanding the importance of a dog in the life of the elderly and are now allowing clients to keep their dogs. I am also expecting to live into my nineties which means that I do have time for another dog. I would not get a pup though. I don't have the energy. But there is room in my heart for another dog who perhaps has lost its elderly owner. However I will need to check with my family first to make sure any new dog is one that they would feel comfortable taking on if I was no longer able to. There have been threads on DOL about making provisions for your dogs in your will. It is not simple. I just trust that I have brought up my children to do the right thing by me and any dog I leave behind.

Majority of dogs are heaps smaller than most humans. A supposed adult, supposedly educated lost his temper with an animal. Size is but part of the equation, imo. His behaviour stinks. No, I am totally appalled. He is a bully. I agree with you VM. I am not trying to excuse him in any way at all. I just wondered if we felt even just a teeny weeny bit more appalled because it was such a cute little dog.